Jessica Cohn is no stranger to open water and often goes on cruises with her husband, teenage twins and elderly parents, Carol Silverberg and Sol Silverberg.
For the past five years, cruising had been a cherished family tradition, with countless memories made at sea.
But this time, the 42-year-old’s schedule simply didn’t align, making it impossible for her to join her parents on their week-long Caribbean cruise booked the first week of September.
Nevertheless, her parents chose to go on their own, knowing they truly needed the break – especially her 78-year-old father, who continues to work full-time at Home Depot despite his age.
Departing from New Jersey on Aug. 31, 2025, the couple from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, decided to stay loyal to their favorite cruise line, Royal Caribbean.
Before they left, their daughter walked them through how to stay connected, knowing technology wasn’t their strong suit. But once the ship set sail, the silence was unsettling – not a single message came through.
“After three days, I hadn’t heard from them, despite my mom promising to write to let me know they were safely on board,” Cohn tells PEOPLE exclusively.
“I got very worried, so I joined a Facebook group specific to their sailing and posted a photo of them, asking for anyone who saw them to please message me.”
The response was instant and overwhelming — strangers from around the world jumped in to help, turning Cohn’s fear into something unexpectedly beautiful.
“Within an hour, I not only had a photo of them smiling on the ship, taken by a kind passenger, but replies from several people assuring me they were fine,” Cohn recalls, highlighting that there were over 5,000 passengers on the ship.
“Seeing them smiling and looking so cute and happy was just joyous; I was deeply grateful,” she adds.
Later that day, a concierge on board kindly let her 76-year-old mother use their phone to reassure Cohn that everything was okay — her parents were simply having trouble connecting to the internet.
Throughout the rest of the cruise, people continued to check in on Cohn’s parents and send her updates. One couple even joined the pair for dinner, making them feel like celebrities.
According to Sol, the entire experience “made us aware that the world has shrunk to the point where any person can be recognized through social media. And I have to admit, it was the highlight of the trip!”
As they continued on their journey through Nassau and CocoCay (Royal Caribbean’s private island) in the Bahamas, followed by a stop in Florida, passengers remained kind and receptive – reaching out to Cohn multiple times throughout the trip with updates on what her parents were up to.
“We were very surprised at the response, totally and pleasantly,” Sol tells PEOPLE, revealing that even a couple of young teenagers reached out, having seen Cohn’s post, curious about the older couple’s well-being.
“In these times where many people feel so disconnected, I genuinely felt I had a community on board that ship linking me to my parents, and it was truly uplifting,” Cohn adds.
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Cohn felt a genuine sense of community grow between herself and the kind passengers who reached out during her parents’ cruise.
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